Make it Count
by katokatsu
Summary: Established USUK. Alfred picks Arthur up at the airport. They get into all kinds of shenanigans, much to Arthur's displeasure. But you know he likes it.


I've been on eight planes in the last month. It's bloody tiring.

This is the result of one of my recent plane rides- from Baltimore, Maryland to Frankfurt, Germany. =w= Written in a taxi on the Autobahn.

It was like mid-ninties in Baltimore all Otakon weekend btw.

Thank you to the excellent Pastaaaaaaa for being my Beta. ILUUUUUUUU C8

* * *

_8:32 AM, BWI_

Arthur grimaced as he stared at his phone for what felt like the millionth time. He was standing in the middle of the airport exit with his suitcase, groaning uncomfortably as the Baltimore heat permeated through the automatic doors. He blushed as his eyes flickered towards reuniting couples and families, the atmosphere a cacophony of tears and relief and rejoicing and...love. "Stupid git." He cursed, flipping his phone shut and glowering in the general direction of the exit. "Bloody lot of good it's done me agreeing to allow him to pick me up." Arthur huffed. "Why do I even bothe—"

"_Arthur!"_ Arthur had scarcely a moment to register the flash of a grin, the bright blue eyes, the golden blond hair before he was enveloped in a tight embrace. "Sorry I'm late, the traffic was _insane_ cuz there was this awesome car chase going on, and I was a total hero of course, so I ran after the sucker and _man,_ you should've seen his face!" Alfred laughed, holding on tightly. "Anyway, I'm so happy to see you!"

Arthur flushed as Alfred loosened his grip on the smaller man, holding him at arm's length and grinning sunshine. "W-well, now that you've gotten that out of your system I'd really like to get to your place as soon as possible, if you wouldn't mind."

"My goodness, Arthur, you're such a _dirty_ old man." Alfred gave Arthur a coy smile. Arthur blushed madly, raising his voice in indignation.

"As though I would even consider it in this godforsaken heat!" Arthur hit Alfred in the chest feebly, only to be met with a laugh. "I'm exhausted from my flight." Arthur slumped a little.

"As if, Arthur!" Alfred spoke enthusiastically. "We've got a whole lot of stuff to do! We're losing daylight here!" Alfred wrapped Arthur in a tight hug once more before he could object. "You're only here for a few days, Arthur. I wanna make it count." Alfred spoke quietly.

Arthur blushed, his eyebrows raised at the American's comment. He returned the embrace briefly before pulling away to give Alfred a small smile. "I've only got to have some tea and a bit of rest. _Then_ I'll have enough energy to handle whatever sort of shenanigans you've got planned for my poor soul today, love." Arthur spoke fondly.

Alfred's cheeks turned a slight pink as Arthur smiled, and he returned it with twice the enthusiasm. "_Awesome_." he spoke easily, giving Arthur a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing his suitcase and arm, leading the way to his car. Arthur tugged his arm back once they reached the curb, causing Alfred to turn to him curiously. "What's..."

"Wait." Arthur commanded, gently pushing against Alfred's chest with his hand until the younger man had his back against the car. Arthur answered Alfred's puzzled expression with a kiss, soft and slow. Arthur sighed into the kiss, feeling himself blush as he heard his suitcase hit the curb, Alfred's arms abandoning it in favor of wrapping around the smaller man's waist.

Arthur carefully pulled away, only a few centimeters. "I've missed you." he whispered against Alfred's lips.

Alfred's eyelids fluttered open, still stunned by Arthur's sudden display of affection, before he recovered somewhat and decided to take it as a challenge. He smirked, pulling Arthur against him for another kiss, this time much longer yet just as gentle.

"Missed you more." Alfred spoke quietly once they broke apart.

"It isn't a _competition_, Alfred." Arthur retorted, his face flushed from Alfred's kiss. Arthur quickly straightened, suddenly realizing where he was. He stood awkwardly and adjusted his dress shirt as Alfred righted himself lazily, tossing Arthur's suitcase in the back before running to the opposite side of the vehicle to let himself in.

Arthur, on the other hand, was preoccupied with a large white notecard he found in the passenger's seat. "Alfred, what is '_shnookums'_?"

It was Alfred's turn to blush, fidgeting with the steering wheel as Arthur buckled himself in. "That's, um, a sign I made for you. I was gonna hold it up for you like people do all the time when they greet someone, y'know? But I kinda forgot it cuz I was rushing..." Alfred laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

Arthur eyed the blush that tinged Alfred's cheeks suspiciously, still holding the card in one hand. "Yes that's adorable, but what does_ '_shnookums_' mean_?"

Alfred's blush intensified as Arthur repeated the word. "It's..." Alfred cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. "It...meansthatIloveyou." Alfred said quickly, shifting in his seat awkwardly.

Arthur stared at Alfred, suddenly feeling uncomfortably warm in the heat-trapped car. He suppressed a smile, finding Alfred's insecurity absolutely endearing. "Your people just sort of mash noises together convinced they're 'words', don't they?" Arthur said easily, carefully sneaking the notecard into his briefcase as Alfred "_nu-uh_'d" and went on about how the words his people came up with were "the shit" and laughed off the awkwardness, starting his car.

Arthur found it easy to stay awake during the car ride as he spent the majority of the time bickering with Alfred about radio stations and telling him to belt up as he made painful attempts to sing along.

_9:07 AM, McDonald's_

Alfred insisted that he and Arthur stop by McDonald's for breakfast the _moment_ Arthur made the mistake of mentioning that he was the slightest bit hungry. Arthur cursed his luck and groaned as Alfred sauntered forth, singing the McDonald's jingle as he stepped through the automatic door. Arthur followed, massaging his temple with one hand as he was greeted by the smell of fast food and what Alfred liked to call "_awesomeness_".

"I'll take one of everything!" Alfred proclaimed loudly, eliciting a startled reaction from the cashier who hardly had enough time to say "Good morning" before she was interrupted by an exuberant Alfred. She blinked incredulously, hesitant to punch in the order before Alfred gave her a Hollywood grin, winking as he followed up with an easy "Just kidding!" as he eyed his options. "I'll take a number three and a large coffee, of course!"

Arthur narrowed his eyes at the way Alfred had made the girl blush and, being Arthur, took Alfred up on his challenge. He gave the girl a little smile when she looked at him expectantly.

"Yes, I'll have the number four with hot tea, please. And one of those little cartons of milk as well, if you wouldn't mind." His smile grew when he saw her react to his accent. "Thanks very much, dear."

Alfred sputtered, giving Arthur a heated look. "Hey, who said I'd pay for you?" Alfred demanded, forgetting about the girl entirely.

"It's only polite to treat your guest, Alfred. Though, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that _you_ would need reminding when it comes to manners." Arthur smirked at Alfred, green eyes glinting mischievously. "_Shnookums." _he added, giving Alfred one last look before leaving to gather napkins and reserve a seat.

Meanwhile, Alfred stared after Arthur, face warm with a blush as he cursed under his breath. "How much do I owe you?" Alfred smiled weakly at the cashier, defeated. It took her a few moments to respond, blinking and shaking her head as she realized she had been staring at Arthur. "U-um, that'll be $11.10." She stuttered. Alfred thanked her, insisting that she keep the change as he carried his tray to the booth Arthur had chosen.

"You're a little bitch, you know that?" Alfred huffed, setting the tray down and scooting into the seat across from Arthur.

Arthur gave Alfred a smug look, popping a hash brown into his mouth.

"I'm actually surprised you've got tea on your menu. Yes, yes I know it's because you're 'awesome', no need to remind me. I'm anxious to find out what sort of miserable excuse for a cup of tea you're advertising." Arthur quipped, removing the teabag from its packaging and dipping it into his cup of hot water. He carefully added some milk and stirred the contents, allowing the tea to steep just long enough. Alfred watched nervously, holding his sausage and egg biscuit halfway to his mouth as Arthur took a small sip.

Arthur blinked, surprised, as he took another sip. Alfred snickered, taking a bite out of his five hundred-calorie biscuit. "Heh, not half bad, huh?"

Arthur set his cup down, rolling his eyes at the way Alfred always found some excuse to talk with his mouth full. "I suppose I've had worse. On the plane ride here, actually. What _is_ that swill they attempt to pass off as tea on your airlines, honestly." Arthur's cheeks tinged pink as he began eating his breakfast. "Stop grinning, you've got food in your teeth." Arthur scolded as Alfred laughed.

_11:09 AM, Alfred's House_

_"Ahhh, _home, sweet home." Alfred declared, depositing Arthur's suitcase beside his staircase. Arthur made a noise of exhaustion, the Maryland heat wave causing him to loosen his tie and wipe the sweat off his brow.

"How you can run around in this bloody heat is beyond me." Arthur admitted. Just _watching_ the American was draining.

Alfred tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment before grabbing Arthur by the wrist. "I've got an idea." he announced, dragging Arthur by the wrist towards the living room.

"Alfred, I'm really very tired, would you please just let me rest for a little while?" Arthur groused, allowing himself to be pulled along by an eager Alfred. Upon reaching the sofa, Alfred let Arthur go, motioning for him to sit down, and disappeared for a moment. Arthur seized the opportunity to collapse onto couch, resting against a pillow as he closed his eyes. "Alfred, what on earth are you..." Arthur paused, feeling a gentle breeze begin to cool the sweat that collected on his forehead. He opened his eyes to find Alfred standing beside a nearby shelf, a small electric fan blowing puffs of cool air onto Arthur.

"You can nap here if you want. It's cooler here than anywhere else in the house." Alfred offered, smiling lopsidedly. He walked over to the sofa, leaning down and pushing Arthur's bangs back to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Get some rest, Arthur. You look terrible." he laughed softly, standing to leave.

Leave it to Alfred to be such a clueless prat.

Arthur cursed under his breath as he sat up to reach for Alfred's hand. He blushed as he stubbornly avoided eye contact. "I...came here to see you." he started, holding on to Alfred's hand. "So don't...leave, stupid git."

Alfred squeezed Arthur's hand gently before grinning, kicking off his shoes to join Arthur on the sofa.

"All right, Arthur." Alfred spoke in a smooth voice, leaning over the smaller man, a mischievous smirk on his face as he lowered himself bare inches from Arthur's body. "Think you're ready to find out just how _badly_ I've missed you?" Alfred whispered, his eyes locked on Arthur's. Arthur managed a small gasp, something dangerously close to swooning as the American lay over him.

Then Alfred laughed, rolling onto his side, "Haha, just kidding, Artie." Alfred spoke into Arthur's collarbone as he snuggled against him.

"I'm so happy you're here." He said softly.

Arthur blushed, warm in Alfred's embrace as he felt the other man settle comfortably against him. And Arthur realized that he wasn't the only one who was exhausted.

As Alfred's breathing evened out, Arthur noticed the neat piles of paperwork that sat on Alfred's dining room table, organized into folders with Post-Its and dividers. He felt a small smile tug at his lips as he saw piles of Alfred's belongings-gaming systems, blankets, dvds shoved under furniture and haphazardly piled into open cabinets in an obvious attempt to "clean up". Looking down at the younger nation who held him tightly, he saw that even Alfred's golden blond hair was somewhat neater. Even Nantucket wasn't looking quite as unruly as it normally did.

"You..." Arthur started, gently stroking Alfred's arms around him. "I quite like you, I want you to know that." Arthur said quietly, feeling his heart beat just a little faster.

"Oh, Artie, you're such a smooth talker." Alfred kissed Arthur's jawline. "I love you, too, shnookums." Arthur felt laughter vibrate through Alfred's body, but blushed as Alfred reached for one of Arthur's hands, holding it against his chest. He smiled weakly, sighing comfortably. Neither he nor Alfred were very good at expressing their emotions, Arthur never being able to put his true emotions in words and Alfred covering up any sort of emotion by giving Arthur a hard time.

But when it all came down to it, they both knew exactly what the other was saying. They could hear all the hidden messages and endearment beneath the taunting laughter and "stupid gits". They knew just how much they loved each other, and that was all Arthur needed.

Arthur smiled contentedly, resting his head against Alfred's as he felt himself begin to drift off to sleep.

"You're smiling!" Alfred laughed, tilting his head up to look at Arthur.

"No I'm not." Arthur retorted, his voice heavy and weak with drowsiness.

"Yes you are! I can tell by the way your mouth is!" Alfred grinned brightly, snuggling against Arthur.

"Stop watching me sleep, you tosser."

"Goodnight, Artie!"

"It's eleven in the _morning_. Go to _sleep_, Alfred."

"...Love you, Arthur."

Arthur swallowed, feeling Alfred's heart beat against his hand. Nothing but the whir of the electric fan filling the silence for several moments.

Then-

"...I love you, too, Alfred." Arthur squeezed Alfred's hand once before drifting off to sleep, warm in Alfred's arms.

* * *

**A/N**

So I started working on adding to this in the morning while I was eating cereal with a fork in my dorm room, and edited/added more while riding the trolley all over the city :) (which cost me $10 because the machine ate my money! D:)

Sausage and egg biscuits from McDonalds are really terrible for you! D: But their hot tea is surprisingly delicious! I had some in Baltimore, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I hope you enjoyed my oneshot! Sorry if it's a little rusty, I really haven't written since last December...=w=; I have so much love in my heart for these two, and I really do hope that I've done this pairing justice.

(P.S. props to anyone who catches the Friends reference :3)

Thank you _so_ much for reading! TTwTT/ 3


End file.
